


One Step At A Time

by JayStarr



Category: Penguins of Madagascar
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Alternate Universe - Humans, Alternate Universe - Prison, Art Theft, Attempted Sexual Assault, Blowjobs, Escape, Graphic Sexual Content, Heist, Language, M/M, Murder, Prison, Revenge, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2019-08-27 05:11:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16696057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayStarr/pseuds/JayStarr
Summary: New York State Penitentiary.Skipper has served five years of a fifteen year sentence.  He has studied the prison’s outline and the officers’ routines.  If only he was smart enough to execute his plan.Kowalski has been caught embezzling millions of dollars and has served six months of a twenty five year sentence.Rico has in and out of prison for most of his life, and he’s served twelve years of a life sentence for murder and theft.  Most people, including the officers, is afraid of him.Private just happened to be at wrong place at the wrong time and is now serving a twenty year sentence.





	1. Chapter 1

  New York State Penitentiary.

 

  Skipper followed another guard’s movement with his eyes as he pressed his back against a wall.

   _Find someone smart_ , Skipper thought.   _Someone smart._

Skipper’s gaze fell onto Kowalski’s back as the younger man played chess once more.

  For the past six months, Skipper has watched him carefully.  Kowalski is smart.  Skipper knows it.

  By the way Kowalski talks, by the way Kowalski walks, by the way Kowalski holds himself, by the way Kowalski continues to read stacks of books, Skipper knows he’s smart.

  For six months, Skipper has kept his eyes on him.

  He wanted to be sure that Kowalski was right for the job he had waiting for him, but after six months of careful watching and simple eavesdropping, Skipper knew Kowalski was.

  Skipper ran a hand over his dark black hair.

 

~~~~

 

  “He’s staring again,” Corey grumbled as he moved his knight.

  “I can feel his eyes,” Kowalski replied.  He stared at the pieces.  He moved a pawn.

  “Really?”  Corey arched a brow.

  Kowalski leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and legs at his knees.

  “You’re advancing a pawn?”

  “I have my reasons.”  Kowalski shrugged his shoulders.

  “Pfft.  You’re a dumbass.”

  “Am I?”  Kowalski tilted his head.

  Corey advanced his bishop, three spaces away from Kowalski’s king.

  “Check,” Corey said.

  Kowalski moved his queen, taking Corey’s bishop.

  “Goddammit!” Corey cried.

  Kowalski smirked some more.

  “Don’t be like that,” Corey ordered, shoving a finger in Kowalski’s face.  “You may be a smart person, but your cockiness is what got you in here.”

  “Unlike you, when I get outta here, I’ll be sitting on a fat stack.  I just have to wait twenty five years.”

  “If you make it outta here.”  Corey’s gaze dropped.

  Kowalski frowned.

  “I’m sorry.  Matt was a good guy.”

  “He was.  I miss him.”

  “I wish I could’ve known him longer.”

  Corey chuckled with a smile.

  “You know, he liked you.  A lot.”

  Kowalski’s face coloured brightly, only for Corey to chuckle again.

  “You get embarrassed so easily.  He loved that about you.”

  Someone stopped at the chess table.

  Both Corey and Kowalski looked up to see Skipper staring down at Corey.

  “Leave,” Skipper ordered.

  Kowalski and Corey glanced at each other.

  “Now,” Skipper ordered.

  Corey glanced back at Kowalski.

  He gestured with his head for Corey to leave before he did so.

  “I’ll be watching in case does anything,” Corey whispered as he past Kowalski.

  Skipper turned Corey’s chair around before he straddled the chair and rested his forearms on the back of the chair.  His gaze remained glued to the chess board.

  Kowalski studied him carefully.

  Since he got to prison, Kowalski knew the larger man had been watching him.  He had waited for six months for him to make a move on him, and frankly, it was agonizing having to constantly glance over his shoulder to see if the man was going to do something.

  Skipper moved his knight.

  Kowalski frowned.

  “You’re better than Corey,” Kowalski admitted.  “I guess I gotta change my strategy.”

  “Spend five years here.”  Skipper smiled at him.  “You tend to pick up new skills.”

  Kowalski glanced at the board.

  He moved his bishop forward.

  “Check.”

  Skipper frowned at him.

  “I’ve wanted to talk to you for a while now.”

  “And, ‘Hey, I need to talk to you’ wouldn’t have sufficed.  You had to go and scare my friend off.”

  “Look.”  Skipper leaned forward.  “You and your boyfriend can stay here and suck each other’s faces off, but unlike you—.”  He paused and looked around before he leaned forward some more.  “I don’t intend on staying my entire sentence.”

  Kowalski’s eyes dialated.

  “I’m intrigued.”  He leaned forward as well.  “And why are you telling me this?”

  “Because, Mr. Ian Kowalski, I need someone smart on my side.  I know the ins and outs of this prison for the most part, but I’m not the best with long term plans.”

  “So you need someone for that?”

  Skipper tapped the end of his nose.

  Silence fell over them as they stared at each other.

  “What’s in it for me?” Kowalski asked.

  “Perhaps you would like to sit on your fat stack sooner than twenty five years.”

  Kowalski sat back in his seat.

  “What makes you think that?”

  Skipper stared at him.

  “I stole a quarter of a million dollars worth of diamonds, emeralds, and various other jewels.  I managed to hide my share of the money before I got caught and set in here.  What are you in here for again?”

  “Embezzlement.  I managed to convince rich people to let me handle their money, only to take it right out from underneath their noses.”

  “How much did you take?”

  “One hundred and eighty.  Million.”

  They both smiled.

  “Maybe you’ll like to have that in your hand rather than sitting here playing chess with Elton John over there.”

  “Oh, please.  Corey is no Elton John.  Have you heard him sing in the shower?”

  Both of them chuckled softly.

  A siren blared.

  They both turned.

  Other prisoners ganged up on a chain link fence as a bus pulled into view.

  Kowalski stood and began to walk towards to join the others, but Skipper grabbed hold of his hand.  He turned back towards him.  His cheeks grew hot.

  “Meet me in the third floor bathroom at ten thirty.”  Skipper stared at him.  “I’ll be there waiting there for you.  We’ll discuss this a bit more then.”

  “Okay.”

  Skipper dropped Kowalski’s hand, stood, and walked off.

  “You’re blushing,” Corey said, coming up from behind.

  Kowalski turned to him as he covered his cheeks with his hands.

  “Am not!” Kowalski cried.

  Corey only rolled his eyes.

 

~~~~

 

  Private’s heart pounded in his head.  His went dry, and his hands shook.

  The bus came to a stop, and the door opened.

  An officer in the front of the bus stood and unlocked the chain door before opening it.

  “C’mon, maggots!” the officer shouted.

  The first prisoner stood and stepped out of the bus.  One by one the prisoners stepped from the bus.

  Private’s knees shook with each step.  His legs were weak.

  Other prisoners screamed and shook the chain link fence.

  “Look at all the fish we caught today!”

  “We’re reeling them in!”

  Private looked around at the prisoners.

  One of them locked eyes with him.

  “Ooowee!  We got some pretty boys this time!”

  Private swallowed hard.

  “Move!” an officer shouted.

  The prisoner in the chain began walking forward.

  Private’s stomach twisted as he stepped through the gate of the prison.

  The words and shouts of the other prisoners fell on deaf ears as Private followed after the line of chained prisoners.

  He kept his gaze on the heels of the prisoner in front of him.

  “All prisoners, go to your cellblocks,” a voice over the intercom ordered.

  Private followed into the prison.

  His heart sank when the door behind them slammed shut.


	2. Chapter 2

  Private trembled even as the line of prisoners came to a stop in a long hallway.

  Private knew the big bellied, white haired man standing off to the side: Warden Peter Lawrence.  A close friend of his mother, who came over frequently for dinners or holiday parties or just to get out of his house.

  To think, he’s meeting him at his job.

  Private’s heart pounded in his chest.

  “Face the Warden!” a guard ordered.

  Private and the rest of line of prisoners turned.

  Warden Lawrence frowned when his gaze locked with Private.

  “Welcome, gentlemen,” Warden Lawrence said, looking up and down the line of prisoners.  “Welcome to New York State Penitentiary.”  He turned to the much taller guard standing next to him.  “This is Officer Daniel Crawford.  He’s the overseer of all the prisoners.  He’ll be watching over you, making sure none of you get into fights.  If you do get into fights, you’ll find yourself in solitary confinement.  Besides that, I don’t give a shit what you do.”

  Warden Lawrence turned and gestured towards the prisoners.

  “Face forward!” Officer Crawford barked.

  The line of prisoners turned.

  “Move it!”

  They all moved forward into another long hallway with showers down the length of the room.

  Officer Crawford unlocked all the prisoners before he went back down to the first prisoner.

  “Undress and go to the first shower at the end.”  He pushed the prisoner forward before doing the same to the next prisoners.  “Two.  Three.  Four, five, six.  Stop.”  He held up his hand.

  The first six prisoners showered and were deloused before they were handed their uniform and shoes.

  The next six prisoners were counted out.

  “Crawford!” Warden Lawrence shouted.

  The guard stepped closer.

  “You see the first boy,” Warden Lawrence whispered.

  Officer Crawford turned and glanced at Private.  He turned back to the warden.

  “Yeah.  So?”

  “I know him.  I know his mother.  We’re good friends.  I even promised his mother that he’ll be taken care of here.”

  “He stole a hundred thousand dollars.”

  “I know, but he’s still a good kid who threw his life away with one mistake.  Anyway, he needs protection in here, and you’d be a good fit for him.”

  “Did put him with you know who?”

  “Yeah.  He’s getting out today, and I’ve already thought about that.  That boy’s gonna more than one person watching out for him.  I’d raise your pay by five dollars an hour if you agree to keep him safe and actually follow through.”

  “Okay.”

  “Thank you.”

  The second set of six prisoners were finally done with their showers and delousing, and Private walked to the end of the showers and undressed quickly.

  Officer Crawford walked down the hallway and took the water hose.

  “Step back.”

  Private moved to the back of the shower.

  Officer Crawford turned the hose on.

  The water was freezing on Private’s skin that bit down all the way to his bones.

  “Turn around.”

  Private did so before his backside was drench with the freezing water.

  Officer Crawford turned off the water.

  “Step to the end of the cage.”

  Private turned around and stepped forward.

  Officer Crawford threw the delousing powder in his face.

  “Turn around.”

  Another handful of powder.

  “Here’s your clothes and shoes.”  He handed a folded uniform and a pair of shoes to Private.  “Stand over there in line.”

  Private nodded before he joined the other prisoners.

  His eyes burned and itched.

  After another few minutes, all the prisoners stood in a line.

  “Alright,” Officer Crawford explained, “you’d be lead to your cells.  Basically, keep going until someone tells you to stop.  Move it.”

  The line of prisoners moved forward.

  One by one each of the prisoners started up the stairs or were directed down the hallways on the first floor.

  “Take a left,” Officer Crawford said to Private as he walked past him.

  He followed after the officer.

  A prisoner whistled as Private walked past.

  The blood rushed to Private’s face.

  “Ignore them.”  He stopped in front of a cell.  “You’re here.”  He gestured inside.

  The cell was empty, but a couple posters of Playboy bunnies hung on the wall.  Various books and other trinkets were strewn about on the desk and shelf.

  “Do I— have a cellmate?”

  Officer Crawford stared down at him with cold, dead eyes.

  “You’re a dumbass.”  He shoved Private into the cell.  “He’s going to be back in a couple of hours.  If I were you, I’d wash that delousing shit off your face.”

  Private glanced at the sink before he went over and turned on the faucet.

  “It’s cold,” Private complained.

  “It’s a prison.”  Officer Crawford stepped into the cell.  “All the water is cold.”

  Private frowned before he washed away the delousing powder from his face.

  “Can you describe my cell mate?”

  “He’s— a character.”

  “That doesn’t really help.”

  Private turned around and started to dress.

  “Well, he’s tall.  Bout as tall as me.  Bigger than me, stockier.”

  Private stared at him.

  Officer Crawford stood around six feet and weighed around a hundred and sixty pounds.  His uniform was clean and pressed, fitting perfectly over his muscular body.

  “He’s got a few scars.”

  Private froze and glanced at Officer Crawford.

  “How many?”

  “Three on his face and one along his neck.  He has quite a few on his chest and back.”

  “That sounds a bit scary.”

  “Everyone’s a bit scary in here.”

  Private swallowed hard.

  “Is there anyone here not scary looking?”

  Officer Crawford thought for a moment.

  “There’s a few.”  He glanced down at his watch.  “I’ve got to go and do my rounds.  Your cellmate will be here soon, and they’ll be calling the prisoners down for shower soon, so you’ll be able to get that delousing shit of your hair.”

  “Okay.”

  Officer Crawford turned and left his cell with the cell door closing behind him.

  Private finished buttoning up the front of his prison uniform.  He sat down on the bottom bunk and began to stuff his feet into the shoes that were given to him.

 

~~~~

 

  Kowalski rubbed the back of his hands.

  “What do you think he wants to talk to about?” Corey asked.

  “I dunno!” Kowalski cried.  “That’s what I’m nervous about.”

  “You don’t think he’ll try anything?  Do you?”

  Kowalski remained quiet as he turned to the iron bars, resting his forearms on the bars.

  “They’ll be calling us to the showers soon,” Corey said.

  “I know.”

  Corey stood from his bunk and went over to Kowalski’s side.

  “You gonna do it?” Corey asked.

  Kowalski only shrugged his shoulders in response.

  “Like I have any choice,” Kowalski replied.

  “You’ve always got a choice.”

  Kowalski shook his head.

  A couple of guards hurried across the length of the first floor.

  “Is he getting out today?” Kowalski asked.

  “Yeah,” Corey replied.  “I think they’re getting him now.”

  “Fuck!”  Kowalski threw back his head.  “That’s the last thing I need right now is him making me feel uneasy.”

  “Yeah.  I hate the atmosphere around him.”

 

~~~~

 

  “I like this bunk,” Private muttered to himself, bouncing gently on the bunk.  “It’s kinda soft.”

  The cell door opened, and Private stood from the bunk.

  A man stepped into the doorframe of the cell door, filling up the entire space with his tall, bulky frame, not an ounce of fat on his body.  Wide shoulders and chest.

  Along the top of his jaw, just underneath his square jawline, was a deep ragged scar from one ear to the other.

  On the right side of his face, a scar, though not as deep as his scar on his neck, that ran from the corner of his lips up to his ear.  On the left side of his face, a scar overlapped his lips and up his left cheek with another scar cutting his left eyebrow in half.

  His dark almond brown eyes were cold and dead.  His face remained expressionless as he stared at Private.


	3. Chapter 3

  Private’s eyes widened.  His entire body trembled.

  The man stared down at Private as the cell door slowly closed behind him.

  The man’s heels clicked with every step he took as Private stepped backwards.

  Private pressed the small of his back into the desk.

  Private’s heart pounded in his chest as the man stopped and stood in front of him.  Their gazes never faltered from the other’s.

  The man raised his hand.

  Private squeezed his eyes shut.

  The man grabbed hold of his toothbrush and toothpaste before he allowed his arm to fall to his side.

  Private opened his eyes.  His mouth went dry, and his throat was parched.

  The man turned and stepped towards the sink before he began to brush his teeth.

  Private’s heart continued to race.  He placed both hands over his heart.  He couldn’t breathe.

  The sound of the running water echoed throughout the cell.

  The man turned back around and placed the toothbrush and toothpaste on the shelf.  He turned and stepped beside the bunks.  He reached down, fixing the pillow and grabbed hold of the corner of the blanket.

  “Actually, that’s where I was gonna sleep,” Private said quickly.

  The man paused.  He turned and stared at Private.

  A cold shiver ran down Private’s spine.

  “ _Or I can sleep on the top bunk!_ ” Private squealed in a high pitched voice.  “It’s fine.  Don’t worry about me!”

  Private faked a smile as his face grew beat red.

  The man threw the corner of the blanket back, fixing the blanket entirely on the bottom bunk.  He laid onto the bunk.

  Private swallowed hard.

  Silence fell over them like a heavy, awkward blanket.

  Private continued to stare at the man.

  The man turned on his side and faced the wall.

  The scar on the man’s neck wrapped around his neck moreso than Private originally thought, ending far behind his ears.

  Private blew out his cheeks.

  The man shifted and sat up.  A wicked smile crossed his lips.

  “You like what you see?” the man asked, running his fingertips along the length of his scar.

  Private’s eyes widened even more.

  The man stood and stalked over to him.  He leaned down so he could look Private in his eyes.

  “Wanna— touch it?”

  Private’s face grew hot as he lowered his gaze.

  The man stood, stepping closer even more, pining Private between the desk and his own body.  He grabbed hold of Private’s hand.

  Private’s face grew even more red.

  The man raised Private’s hand and ran his fingertips along his scar.

  The strawberry pink jagged scar was rubbery to the touch.

  Private tried to jerk his hand away, but the man held his hand in place.

  Private swallowed hard again.

  “W-What’s your name?” Private asked.

  The man dropped Private’s hand.

  “Rico.  Rico Rodriguez.”  He stepped back a little.  “What’s yours?”

  “Huey Oswald.  People call me ‘Private’ though.”

  Rico tilted his head to one side.

  “Why?”

  “I dunno.”  Private shrugged his shoulders.  “They always have.”

  A buzzer sounded, and their cell down opened.

  “All prisoners to the showers!” a voice over the intercom ordered.

  Rico stepped back and left the cell.

  Private trembled as he followed after Rico.

 

~~~~

 

  Kowalski’s heart grew heavy in his chest as he climbed the stairs up to the third floor.

  In the six months since Kowalski has been brought to the prison, eight prisoners have died in the third floor bathroom: one due to a heart attack, two to suicide, and the rest died by being murdered by other prisoners.  That’s not including the other fifty prisoner that died before Kowalski got to the prison.  Prisoners can be a bit superstitious, especially when it comes to their own mortality.

  Kowalski released his breath before he stepped inside the third floor bathroom.

  Nothing.  The lights were on, but no one was inside.

  “Skipper,” Kowalski whispered shouted.

  “Over here.”  Skipper peeked his head around the corner to the second section of the bathroom.

  Kowalski frowned as he stepped around the wall.

  Skipper grabbed hold of Kowalski’s arm and pulled him closer.

  “That hurt!” Kowalski cried.

  “Shh!”  Skipper placed a finger on his lips.  “I don’t want anyone hearing us.”

  “Well, maybe you shouldn’t grab me so hard.”  Kowalski frowned at him.

  Skipper matched his gaze.

 

~~~~

 

  Private trembled as he stepped into the already crowded bathroom.

  He shivered softly as the icy water droplets hit his face.

  “Stay close to me,” Private cried, running after Rico.

  Rico stopped and turned towards him.

  “I don’t need a puppy dog following me,” Rico complained, bringing his fist against the top of Private’s head.  “You got that?”

  “Ow!”  Private clenched his head.

  Tears sprang to his eyes as he looked up at Rico.

  “I have no sympathy for you,” Rico grumbled before he turned and walked away.

  “Hey, baby!” another prisoner shouted.

  Private turned to see a dark skinned man with a low buzz cut and amber brown eyes.

  “You can be my little puppy dog!”  He and a few other prisoners laughed out loud.

  Private frowned and shook his head.

  “No, thank you.”  He turned and slammed into Rico.

  “Why don’t you leave him alone, Clint?”

  “Oh, so you _are_  interested in your little puppy dog?” Clint asked with a wide smile.  He stepped closer as he spoke.  “Maybe you should stop being such a selfish dick and, uh, let me have him for the night?”  He grabbed hold of Private and pulled him against his body.

  Private frowned as Clint’s hardon pressed against the small of his back.

  “Maybe you should stop being such a desperate piece of shit and maybe you would get laid.”

  Clint’s eyes widened.

  “Listen here, you pissfuck!  I can get anyone that I want at anytime.  Including this little pup right here!”  He pointed to the spot where Private once stood.  “Where the fuck is he?”

  “He left while you were talking.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  “You stop talking about yourself that way.  It’s not nice.”

  “Listen, muthafucker.  You think your such a tough guy cause you have some face scars and shit.  Well, I ain’t scared of you, and I guarantee that I can have that boy in my bed by the end of the month.”

  “Yeah fucking right.”  Rico shoved passed him.

  “Yeah.  Run along to protect your little puppy dog that you don’t even want!”

  Private frowned hard as he stormed off up the stairs to the third floor.

  “I need somewhere to cool down,” he grumbled to himself.  “Somewhere preferably _without_ people.”

  He stormed past the empty bathroom.  He paused before he back up.

  “Oh, thank god.”

  Private stepped into the bathroom, unbuttoning his uniform.

  “Well, maybe you shouldn’t grab me so hard,” a voice scolded.

  “Ah, fuck.”

  Private frowned softly, but he stepped closer to the sound of the voice before peering around the around.

  Two men stood next to one another.

  One of the men stood around five foot, ten, weighing around one eighty.  His uniform fit snug around his stout body.  His inky black hair was a messy mop on the top of his head.

  The other man was much cleaner in appearance, shaved face, clean dusty brown hair, perfectly ironed uniform over his long, lithe frame.

  Private’s eyes widened as the shorter man pulled out something from the inside of his uniform.

  “Anyway,” Skipper muttered as they sat on the floor, pulling several folded pieces of paper from the inside of his uniform and unfolded them.  “This is the map of the entire prison.”

  Private’s eyes widened even more as a cold sweat grew on his brow.

  “How did you get this?”

  “I have my ways.  Namely, by having friends.”  He moved the map, revealing maps of the individual floors of the prison with hand written notes in red, blue, and black ink.  “These are the floors.  The black ink is the officers the patrol the floors, and the blue ink are the days that they patrol.  The red ink shows the amount of time that they take to make their rounds.”

  Kowalski looked up at him.

  “And yet you need me to get you out of prison?”

  Private inhaled softly.

  “Do you know how long it took me to get all this information?”

  Kowalski shrugged his shoulders.

  “Since the day I stepped foot in this prison.  It’s taken me five years to get this information.  Now, imagine me trying to escape, I might as well wait until I’m able to walk out.”

  Kowalski shook his head slightly.

  “What makes you think I’m smart enough to get you out?”

  “You’re a Polish kid that was top of his class in your special rich private school before graduating from Yale while being on the Dean’s list and being Validictorian.  I know you’re smart enough to get us out.”

  Kowalski frowned at him.

  “How do you know all this stuff?”

  “I told you.  I have friends— and ears.”

  Private shifted uncomfortably.

  Skipper’s gaze immediately went to him.

  Private’s face flush a bright red.

  “I’m sorry!” Private shouted before he turned and sprinted off.

  Skipper chased after him.

  Private tried to reach the door, but Skipper was much faster than him.

  “No, please!” Private begged.

  Skipper covered Private’s mouth with his hand as he dragged Private back into the bathroom.

  “What’re we gonna do?” Kowalski asked.

  Skipper slammed Private against the wall.

  “What did you hear?” Skipper demanded.

  “He heard everything!” Kowalski shouted.

  “Shh!” Skipper ordered.  “Tell me now.”  He slammed Private against the wall again.

  “I heard everything!  I heard everything!”  The tears spilled from his eyes.  “Please, please, don’t kill me.  I’m only nineteen.  I don’t want to die anytime soon.”

  “Shut up, shut up.”  Skipper covered his mouth again.  “Listen to me.  You’re not gonna die.  Okay?”

  Private nodded.

  “As long as you don’t a single word of this to anyone.”

  Private stared at him.  The wheels in his head began to turn.

  Skipper removed his hand, placing Private on the floor.

  “Trust me,” Skipper said.  “Rico isn’t the only scary man who killed someone in this prison.”

  Private swallowed hard.

  “Take me with you,” Private spat out before he could stop the words.

  Kowalski and Skipper stared at him.

  “If you leave without me, I’ll tell everyone what you did,” Private said.

  They both remained quiet.

  “I’ll deal with you tomorrow,” Skipper grumbled, pushing Private aside.  “Now beat it.”

  Private couldn’t get out of the bathroom any faster.

  “What if he tells?” Kowalski asked.

  Skipper remained quiet for a moment.

  “He won’t.”

  “All prisoners to your cellblocks.”

 

~~~~

 

  Private rushed to his cell to find Rico already lying on his bunk with his hand underneath his head.

  “Find a shower?” Rico asked.

  “No.”  Private stepped onto Rico’s bunk before he hook a leg onto his own bunk.  He tried to grasp something to pull himself up but found only nothing of use.

  Rico grabbed hold of the bottom of Private’s foot before he pushed him up onto the bunk.

  “You okay?” Rico asked.

  “What do you care?”  Private rolled onto his side.

  Rico frowned.  His cock grew heavy against his stomach.

  Rico unbuttoned his uniform and pulled out his hardon.  He groaned as he began to stroke himself.

  Private opened his eyes and listened for a minute.

  Rico inhaled through his teeth.

  “Oh, fuck yeah,” Rico murmured.

  Private flipped to his other side.

  “What are you doing?!” Private shouted, peering over the side.  His eyes widened, and his cheeks flushed when he saw Rico’s hard cock in his hand.

  It was a good eight inches and around three and a half inches in diameter.  The foreskin was several shades darker than Rico’s skin tone with the thick purple cockhead peeking out.

  “What?”  Rico arched a brow.  “You want to do it?”  Rico smiled at Private as he pulled down his foreskin, revealing more of his cockhead.

  Private blushed again.

  “No,” Private mouthed.  His gaze remained locked onto Rico’s cock.

  “What?” Rico teased, stroking himself some more.

  “No!”  Private remained looking over the edge, staring at Rico stroke himself.

  Rico frowned but continued to stroke himself faster.

  “You’re a pretty boy,” Rico managed in between groans and gasps.  “Pearly skin.”  Rico stared at him.

  Private grew pale.

  “Those pretty blue eyes.”  Rico stroked himself faster.  “I haven’t seen eyes like that since I killed Frank.”

  Private’s eyes widened.

  Rico chuckled.  He raised his hips slightly.

  “How—?”  Sensation pooled into his stomach as his cock and balls grew heavier.  “How many men do you think are doing what I’m doing right with you in mind?”

  Private’s stomach twisted.

  “Well?  Five?  Eight?  Twelve?  I know damn well Clint’s masturbating to your plushy white ass.”  Rico hissed in a breath.  “I think that one guard might like you.  I noticed the way he stared at you.”

  Private shook his head.

  “You know what I’d give to have that hot mouth of yours sucking me off right now?”

  Rico sat up and stared at Private.

  “Want to?”

  Private’s face grew bright red again.  He sat up and disappeared behind his cot.

  Rico frowned.

  Private threw his legs over the edge.

  Rico grabbed hold of his waist and helped him down.  He ran a hand over Private’s hardening member.  Rico grabbed hold of either side of Private’s uniform and ripped it open.

  Buttons burst and fell onto the ground.

  Rico striped Private completely before he laid back onto the cot.  He pulled Private on top of himself, placing Private’s thighs on either side of his chest.

  Private trembled and grew pale.

  “I haven’t done this before,” Private admitted.

  “You’ve never sucked cock before?”  Rico arched a brow.

  “No.  I mean, this position.  I haven’t.”

  “How many cocks have you sucked?”

  “Two.  It was in a threesome.”

  “Oh, yeah.”  Rico rubbed his cockhead against Private’s jawline.

  Private opened his mouth and ran the tip of his tongue along Rico’s slit on his cock before he took Rico’s entire cockhead into his mouth.

  Rico placed a kiss on Private’s ass before he ran the tip of his tongue around Private’s hole.

  Private bobbed his head as Rico separated him and ate him.

  Both Private and Rico grew bigger.

  A light shined on them.

  A guard stood at their cell door, staring at them.  The flashlight trembled in his hand.

  Private wanted to be ashamed, to be embarrassed, but for some reason, he didn’t.

  The guard took out his own erection and stroked himself.

  “Hey, Private.  Wanna give him a real show?”

  Private glanced at him over his shoulder.

  Rico shifted until they were the way around.  Rico grabbed hold of Private’s ass with both of his hands and pushed him apart.

  “What are—?” Private began before his question was answered when Rico pressed his cockhead against his opening.  “Wait!”

  Rico pushed himself forward.

  “Masters, get back to patrolling!” Officer Crawford shouted.  “How many times do I have to tell you not to watch the prisoners fucking?!”  His pace was just as quick as his mouth.

  Officer Crawford stopped in front of the cell and looked inside.  His eyes widened when he saw Rico and Private.

  Now, Private was embarrassed.  He quickly jumped from the cot and covered himself with his discarded uniform.

  Officer Crawford scowled at them.

  “Go to bed, Private!” Officer Crawford ordered.  A vein in his forehead bulged.

  “Yes, sir,” Private murmured, lowering his head even more.  “Goodnight.”

  Officer Crawford watched as Private dressed and crawl back onto his cot.

 

~~~~

 

  Kowalski laid on his cot.

  “How’d it go?” Corey asked.

  “Fine.”  Kowalski shrugged his shoulders.

  “Do you what to talk about it?”

  “Not really.”

  Silence.

  “Want me to suck you off?”  Corey raised his brows.

  “Not really.  I just want to sleep.”

  “Okay.”

  Kowalski stared up at the ceiling until sleep came over him.

 

~~~~

 

  Skipper rested his forearms on the cell bars.

  He stared across the room at Corey and Kowalski’s cell.


	4. Chapter 4

  Morning came, and all the prisoners were awaken for breakfast.

  Private buttoned his uniform as much as could despite the missing buttons from the night before.  He kept close to Rico as they all made their way down to the mess hall.  Rico was first in line to get his tray, and he was the first to fill his tray with his food.

  “Where are we gonna sit?” Private asked.  Rico gestured to an empty table at the far corner.  “Oh, good!”  Private rushed past him and sat down at the table.  Rico frowned as he stood behind Private.  He shifted his tray into one hand, and with the other hand, he grabbed the back of Private’s uniform collar and threw him onto the floor.

  Rico at down where Private sat, pushing Private’s tray on the either side of the table.  Private frowned hard but said nothing as he sat on the other side of the table of Rico.  Silence fell over them as they began to eat their food.

  “How long have you been here?”

  Rico paused and stared at him.  “Twelve years.”

  Private frowned somewhat but took another bite of his food.  “What are you in here for?”

  “Five counts of first degree murder and theft.  Three hundred and forty-one years in total.”

  “Damn.”  Private’s eyes widened.  “Why’d you do it?”  He leaned forward.

  “They tried to kill me.  They failed of course, and I killed them.”  Rico shoved another spoonful of food into his mouth.  “It was fairly easy.”

  “Because you’re so big.”

  “That’s one of the reasons.”  Rico shrugged.  “Another is that they didn’t expect me to show up alive.”

  Private glanced down at the scar around Rico’s neck.  “Did they do _that_  to you?”

  Rico froze.  His gaze fell.  “Yeah.  They did.”

  “I see.”  Private lowered his head.

  Crawford stepped beside them, and they glanced up at him.  “How’d you sleep?”  His face remained expressionless and hard.

  Private grew hot underneath his gaze.  “Fine.”

  “Good,” Crawford said.  He shifted his gaze to Rico.

~~~~

 

  Kowalski frowned as he glanced between Private and Skipper before briskly wandering to Skipper’s table and sitting across the table from him.  “What are we gonna do?”

  Skipper arched a brow.  “What do you mean?”

  “You know.”  A guard walked past them.  Kowalski leaned forward.  “What if he tells tall, dark, and scary?”

  Skipper remained quiet for a moment, lowering his gaze.  “What if tall, dark, and scary can be quite helpful in certain areas?”  Skipper flashed a smile at Kowalski.

  “How?”

  “Well, he can help us in areas that we are weak in.”  Kowalski frowned at him and crossed his arms.  “For example, he can intimidate people into silence.  I know I can be a scary person from time to time, but tall, dark, and scary can keep a lot of people quiet.”

  Kowalski huffed and shook his head.  “What about the kid?  How can he help us?  He did threaten to tell if we don’t bring him, remember?”

  “Yeah, I do.”  Skipper lowered his head.  He sighed but looked up again as Officer Crawford stepped towards Rico and Private.  He frowned as the wheels began to turn in his head.  “Say.”  He leaned forward with a wicked grin.  “Do you like any of the guards here?”

  Kowalski frowned hard.  “As much as a good asskicking.”  He shoved a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth.

  “But I think he likes the guards.”  Skipper gestured back to Private and Crawford.  “And that the guards like him.”

 

~~~~

 

  Private glanced up as Kowalski turned around, and he and Skipper stared at him for a moment before turning back to one another.  Private grew hot once again and lowered his gaze.

  Crawford and Rico glanced at him before both turning and staring at Kowalski and Skipper.  Crawford turned back to Private.  “Making some enemies already?” Crawford asked.

  “You can say that,” Private grumbled, not looking up at him.

  Rico narrowed his eyes at him.  Crawford frowned hard.

  “Eat your food,” Crawford ordered.  “You’ll need all the strength in world now that you’re here.”

  Private continued to not look at either one of them as Crawford turned and walked off.

  The four of them continued to eat before all the prisoners were called to work.  Rico worked out in the fields, crushing cement blocks with sledgehammers.  Kowalski and Skipper were both sent to work in the workshops together.  Private worked with the others cleaning the prison.

  For hours they worked hard before they had lunch then were released for leisure time.

  Kowalski leaned his back onto one of the prison walls.  He followed Skipper’s gaze over to where Private and Rico in a basketball court.  “Have you spoken to him yet?”

  “Nah.”  Skipper shook his head.  “I’m still trying to figure something out.”

  “What?”  Kowalski looked at him.

  “If he’s actually told anyone.”

  “If he told anyone, we’ll be pulled for questioning.”

  “True.”  Skipper shrugged his shoulders.  “I’ll go speak to him.”

 

~~~~

 

  Private threw his basketball at the hoop.  The ball hit the backboard before it fell and bounced away.  Private ran after the ball.  Rico dribbled the ball in between his legs.

  “Wanna play horse?” Private asked, running back over to Rico’s side.

  “Not really,” Rico said, shrugging his shoulders.

  Private frowned as Rico tossed his ball before it smoothly went through the net.  Rico wet after the ball, and Private wet after him.  “You don’t have any friends here, do you?”

  Rico paused but grabbed the ball.  “No.  I don’t.”

  “That’s disappointing.”  Pivate frowned.  “That makes me kinda feel sorry for you.”

  Rico’s eyes widened.  He dropped the ball and stormed over to Private as the smaller man backed into the chain linked fence.  Rico pinned Private to the fence with one hand squeezing his neck, and with the other, closing off the only way for Private to escape.

  “You’re feel _sorry_  for me!” Rico nearly screamed.  A dozen other prisoners rushed over to the fence to watch.  “You little bitch.”  Rico lifted Private off of the ground.  Private clawed at his hand and gasped for air.  “You think just because you sucked my dick, you can feel sorry from me!”

  “Drop him!” Crawford ordered, raising his rifle.  “Now!”

  Rico glared at Private before he did so and stepped back.  He turned and went to Crawford’s side.  “He can suck your dick from now on.”

  Crawford frowned as Rico stormed off.  Private gasped loudly and trembled tremendously.  Crawford hurried over to him.  “Hey,” he said.  “You okay?”

  Private looked up at him.  He calmed down after a minute or two but nodded his head and swallowed hard.  “I’ll be okay.”

  “Do you want me to stay with you?” Crawford asked.

  Private hesitated as he looked past Crawford at Skipper.  “No.  I’ll be okay.”

  Crawford frowned.  “Okay.”  He stood before he walked off.

  Skipper stepped towards him and leaned his back against the chain link fence.  He crossed his arms.  “First fight with your boyfriend?”

  “What do you want?”  Private pinned his knees to his chest.

  “That’s not how you treat the man who’s gonna get you outta here.”

  Private gasped softly as he looked up at him.  “Really?”

  Skipper nodded.  “But first you need to do something.”

  Private stood and looked at him.  “What do I need to do?”

  “Be cute and cuddly.”  Skipper flashed him a smile.  “Especially with the Warden and that Crawford guy.  Keep their noses away from us, and we’ll take you with us.  Got that?”

  Private’s heart felt heavy in his chest as he nodded.

  “Good,” Skipper said before he walked off.

  Private’s heart grew lighter as butterflied flew in his stomach.


	5. Chapter 5

  Skipper made his way over to where Kowalski sat, playing chess with Corey.  He gave Corey a look before Corey hurried off. Skipper straddled the chair and leaned closer.  “He’s in.”

  Kowalski moved his knight.  “Check.”  He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.  “What did you tell him?”

  “He’s gonna keep the guards and the Warden off of our back.”  Skipper moved a pawn and took one of Kowalski’s rooks.  “We need to work quickly if we want to get out.”

  “I know.”  Kowalski lowered his head.  “It’s just—.”

  “Just what?”  Skipper watched as Kowalski moved one of his bishops, leaving his queen open to Skipper’s own bishop.

  “What happens if we fail?”  Skipper frowned.  He stood and moved his seat to Kowalski’s side.  He placed a hand on Kowalski’s shoulder.

  “We’re not.”  Skipper smiled at him.  “We just need a little bit of faith.”  Kowalski faked a smile.  “Besides, you need to cheer up for visitations tomorrow.”

  _Oh yeah,_  Kowalski thought.   _I forgot about that._   He rubbed his palms along the rough fabric of his uniform.

  “Someone will see you,” Skipper assured.  “You have people that care about you.  In and out of here.”

  Kowalski sighed softly before he stood.  “I’m gonna take a walk.”

  “Just don’t get too upset alright?”  Kowalski only waved his hand in response.  Skipper huffed as he watched Kowalski wander off.  Corey shifted gaze from Kowalski to Skipper then back at Kowalski.

  “Officer!” Corey shouted before hurrying to Crawford’s side.  “May I speak to you?  In private?”

  Kowalski shoved his hands into his pockets.  He kicked a rock with his toe.  Kowalski huffed before he looked up.  His breath caught in his throat.

  Across the prison yard, on the other side of the driveway, the radio center was only six feet away from the chain link fence. Kowalski turned to the building itself.  A radio tower and a billboard around six feet high and twelve feet long were on the roof.  A radio wire ran from the radio tower to the Warden’s tower around forty feet away.  Kowalski slowed his pace but continued walking as to not draw attention to himself.  He frequently looked up to the sky and the birds that flew by to make it look less suspicious.

  A bell was sounded.  Time for them to return inside.

  Kowalski lowered his gaze as he walked back over to the rest of the other prisoners.

  All the prisoners returned to their work before they were released for supper.  Rico ate as quickly as he could without making himself sick before hurrying back to his cellblock.  Private remained for the entire mealtime before all the prisoners were given more leisure time.  Private wandered back to his cell.

  Rico sat on the floor, throwing a red rubber ball at the floor before it bounced off and struck the wall before Rico caught it in his hand.  Rico paused when he saw Private.  He narrowed his eyes at him.  He threw the ball again.

  Private swallowed hard before he went over the shelf of books before pulling one down.  He turned to the cell door before he paused again.  Private stepped closer to the door.

  “You should be careful,” Rico said, catching his ball.

  “What?”  Private turned around.

  “You should be careful who you anger.”  Rico threw the ball again.

  Private frowned at him.  “Well, it’s not my job to make people act like actual human beings and not throw childish tempers whenever there’s something they don’t like.”

  Rico threw the ball again.  “I’m just saying.  Your guard boyfriend won’t always be around to protect you.”

  “Like you care about my well being.”  Rico caught the ball again.  A buzzer was sounded for the prisoners to go to the showers.  Everyone showered and went back to their cells before falling asleep.

  The next day was Sunday, which meant friends and family were allowed to visit the prisoners after lunch.  The prisoners didn’t have any work to do that day, and they mostly hung out in the gym or outside or the library.  Every fifteen minutes a group of prisoners were called before returning after fifteen when another group were called.

  Kowalski and Skipper were called at the same time before they went into the area where the guards escorted them to.

  “Sarah,” Kowalski cried, rushing over to his sister.  They hugged before they sat down at a table.  Skipper quickly found an empty table and sat down himself.  “How are you doing?”  Skipper stared at Kowalski.

  An older man with graying black hair and a pair of blue glasses on the end of his nose stepped towards him. 

  “Hey, Dad,” Skipper murmured as the man sat down.

  “Must you sound so disappointed, Dom?”  He smiled at Skipper.

  “Where’s Mom?  Is she still busy with work or is she gonna make something up again?”  Skipper crossed his arms.

  Skipper’s father sighed, closing his eyes.  “You broke your mother’s heart.  She can’t bare seeing you in here.”  Skipper leaned back in his chair, chewing on the inside of his cheek.  “It doesn’t mean that she doesn’t love you or that she doesn’t want to see you.”

  “Yet she doesn’t even try to make an effort to see me.”  Skipper rolled his eyes.  “I mean, it’s not like you try to convince her.”  Skipper’s father sighed.

  “You know, if you didn’t steal all that stuff, we wouldn’t be in this situation.  Now, would we?”  Skipper’s father tilted his head to one side.

  “I guess we’re a little disappointed with each other.”  Skipper leaned back further in his seat.  His father frowned at him.  Skipper tore his gaze from him.  His father shifted before he placed a green and yellow wrapped package with a large yellow bow and some ribbon.  An envelope with Skipper’s name on it was in between the ribbon and the package.

  “Your mother wanted me to give it to you,” his father said.  Skipper didn’t turn his head but stared at the present through the corner of his eyes.  His father huffed before he stood and left.  Skipper frowned.

  He took the present and stuffed it in the inside pocket of his uniform.  He stood and joined Kowalski at his table.

  “Skipper, this is my younger sister,” Kowalski said, gesturing to her.  “Sarah, this is a friend of mine.”

  Skipper nodded at her as she gave him a wide smile.  She turned back to Kowalski.

  “Ian, I’m glad you’re doing okay,” she said.  “If you continue this way, you’ll get out sooner on good behavior.”

  “Yeah,” Kowalski said, sending Skipper a quick glance.  “Yeah.  I might.”

  “I’m just glad to see you,” Sarah said.  She placed a hand over his.  “And I can’t wait to see you on the outside.”  She grabbed her purse and stood.  “Well, I have to pick up Malcolm.  He’s getting off work soon.”

  “See ya soon,” Kowalski said, hugging her tightly.

  “Bye.”  Sarah waved at the both of them before she left.  Skipper stood.

  “She seems nice,” Skipper said.

  “Well, she is my sister.”  They both chuckled as they left the room together.  “What is that?”  Kowalski pointed at the present.

  “A birthday gift from my mom.”

  “You know what it is?”  Kowalski raised a brow.

  Skipper felt the present without breaking the wrapping paper.  “It’s a picture frame.  Probably with one of my mother’s favorite photos.”

  “Right.”  Kowalski stared at him.  “You miss her, don’t you?”

  Skipper glanced away before shrugging his shoulders.

  “Ian Kowalski and Dominic Skipper, please go to your cell blocks.”

  Kowalski’s brow furrowed as they both paused.

  “Why do they want me and not Corey?” Kowalski asked, looking at Skipper.

  Skipper lead Kowalski to the corner before they peered around the corner.

  The Warden stood outside of Kowalski’s cell as a couple of guards violently went through the cell.  Skipper grabbed Kowalski’s shoulder and pulled him behind the corner.

  “What are they doing?” Kowalski asked in a hushed voice.

  “Random cell searches,” Skipper replied.  He turned to him.  “Do you still have the maps on you?”

  “Yeah.”  Kowalski pressed a hand against the left side of his chest.

  “They’re gonna basically strip search you.  Give them to me.”  Kowalski handed the maps over to him.  Skipper nudged him. “Go.  They’ll get suspicious if they see us together.”

  “Are you sure?”  Skipper turned to him and nodded slightly.  Kowalski swallowed hard.  His heart pounded in his chest.  His legs trembled with every step towards his cell.

  The Warden and the two guards turned to him as Kowalski stepped closer.

  “Arms up.”  Kowalski raised his arms.  The guard began to pat him down while the other .  The Warden watched intently.  The guard patted down his arms.  “Turn around.  Hands behind your head.”  Kowalski did so.  The guard ran his hands down Kowalski’s back and felt the length of his legs.  The guard shoved a couple of fingers into Kowalski’s shoes.

  “There’s nothing here,” Crawford said, stepping out of the cell.  “Some contraband but nothing worth the paperwork.”

  The Warden only replied in a disappointed grunt.  They looked at Kowalski as he turned around.  Kowalski lowered his gaze slightly.  He felt their gazes burning a hole in his skin.

  “I’d like to speak to you after all this,” the Warden said.  Kowalski snapped to him.  “Oh yeah.  I’m going to need to speak to you and your new boyfriend, Skipper, separately.  Just so you two can’t talk to one another beforehand.”  The Warden turned to the other guard.  “Take him up to my office.”

  The guard grabbed hold of Kowalski’s arm before he dragged him away.  Kowalski turned his head as Skipper rounded the corner.  Crawford stopped him, and Skipper raised his arms.  Crawford ran his hands down Skipper’s arms but paused when he pressed his palms against Skipper’s chest.

  Crawford reached inside his uniform before pulling out the present.

  “What’s this?” Crawford asked, glaring at him.  His jaw tight.

  “A birthday gift,” Skipper answered with a shrug.  Crawford eyed the gift before ripping the wrapping off.  A photo of Skipper in a college graduate cap and gown with his parents and younger brother.  “Sure.  You can open it.”  Skipper rolled his eyes.

  Crawford turned to the Warden.  “It got past security, sir.”

  “Give it back to him,” the Warden said.

  Crawford handed the picture back to Skipper.  “Stand here.”  Skipper moved to where he pointed.  Crawford stepped into the cell before tearing it apart.  The Warden kept his eyes on Skipper.

  Crawford stepped out after a couple of minutes.  “There’s nothing here, sir.”

  “Nothing?” the Warden asked, raising a brow.  Crawford nodded.  The Warden groaned and made a face.  “Take him up to my office.”

  Crawford locked up the cell before he took Skipper’s arm and dragged him behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	6. Chapter 6

  Kowalski’s heart pounded in his chest, though he tried to not show his nervousness.  His knees felt weak, and his face paled.  The officers opened the door to the Warden’s office before shoving Kowalski inside.  His stomach was twisted, and his chest felt tight.  Kowalski swallowed hard.

  “Sit here,” one officer ordered, pointing at the chair in front of the Warden’s desk, before he and the other officer left the room, slamming the door behind them.

  The office was clean and neat with everything being polished, shined, and organized to perfection.  Kowalski glanced around.  There were several bookshelves along the walls.  A dark green suit jacket and black suit pants hung from a hanger on the back of the door.  A large radio sat on a table at the far right wall, underneath a large painting of a blue crescent moon behind a small robin sitting on a tree branch.

  There was a side door leading out to the balcony outside of the Warden’s office with a small open window above the door.

  Kowalski stood from his seat.  A wire ran from the radio, up to a hook before going out the window, becoming thicker as it ran down to the radio tower.  Kowalski stepped outside.  The balcony had a covered railing, but the main guards’ tower was only fifty yards away.

  “I want him out here,” the Warden ordered.  Kowalski spun around on his heels.  “And away from the door, so he can’t hear.” Kowalski rushed to his seat.

  The door opened.  The Warden and Crawford stepped into the room, shutting the door behind them.

  The Warden sat down at his desk.  “Well?”

  Kowalski glanced at him.  “Well, what?”

  “What are you and Skipper planning?”

  Kowalski quickly glanced away before making eye contact again.  “Um, planning?”

  The Warden inhaled deeply, stiffening greatly.  “Yes.  Planning.  What are you and Skipper planning?!”  The Warden stood from his seat as he shouted.  Kowalski sank further into his seat.

  “Planning?”  Kowalski raised his brows.  “Where would you get the idea of us planning something?”

  A vein in the Warden’s forehead nearly burst.  “We see you two all the time now.  You two are thick as thieves recently, and you both have been isolating yourselves from everyone else, including all your friends.  Now, tell me.”  The Warden leaned forward.  “What are you planning?”

  Kowalski remained emotionless.  “Nothing.”  The Warden scoffed, rolling his eyes.  “We are not planning anything, sir.”  Kowalski shifted in his seat.  “I’m not exactly sure what you are trying to get out of me, because we haven’t been doing anything wrong.”

  “Really?”  The Warden frowned hard, sitting back down.

  Kowalski frowned as well.  “I don’t understand.  Is it illegal to talk to someone?  Is it illegal to sit at a table and eat lunch and dinner with someone?  Is it illegal to become friends with someone?”

  The Warden’s face softened before he smiled.  “You’re clever.  Based off of your report and what Corey said, I knew you’d be clever.”

  Kowalski raised his brows.  “Corey?  Is this where you got this idea from?”

  The Warden chuckled a little.  “Yes.  Corey was the one to talk to me about you two.”

  “We proved to you that we aren’t panning anything, seeing how your searches came up with nothing.”

  “You could have hidden it somewhere,” the Warden said.

  “Where?” Crawford asked.  “We searched them and their cells.  We found nothing.”

  “Shut it,” the Warden ordered.  Crawford glanced away.  His jaw tightened.  The Warden turned back to Kowalski and leaned forward.  “Perhaps someone of your intellect will learn that you pick and choose your friends carefully in a dangerous world like this place.”

  They both stared at each other as a heavy silence fell over them.

  “May I go?” Kowalski asked.  “We both know that you’re not gonna get the information that you want from me.”

  The Warden cleared his throat.  “Go.”  Kowalski stood before Crawford lead him to the door.  “Oh, and one more thing.”  Kowalski came to a stop.  “You won’t be working in the workshop anymore.”  Kowalski turned his head.  “You will be working in the library.  A place where you have minimal contact with Skipper.”

  Kowalski turned, faking a smile.  “That’s fine with me.  I’ve been trying to work there since the day I came here.  I even worked in a library when I was in college.”  Kowalski turned and stepped out of the room.

  “Bring Skipper in,” the Warden said.  Crawford grabbed Skipper’s arm and dragged him into the room.  “Sit.”  Skipper sat down in the chair.  “What are you two planning?”

  Skipper frowned and crossed his arms.  The Warden stared at him, not saying anything.  Crawford stepped closer behind Skipper.

  “What exactly are you looking for?” Skipper asked with a shrug of his shoulders.  “Cause I’d tell you what you want to here.”

  “Are you two planning to leave this establishment?”  The Warden leaned against his desk.

  Skipper’s face fell.  He inhaled a little.  “I’m personally offended.”  Crawford and the Warden glanced at each other.  “You don’t think I’m smart enough to escape on my own?”  The Warden and Crawford stared at him, remaining expressionless.  “Well, that was a boost of confidence.”

  “So, you planning to escape?” Crawford asked.

  Skipper turned towards him.  “You really can’t take a joke, can you?”

  The Warden slammed his hand down on his desk.  Skipper and Crawford turned towards him.  “Why do you insist on being so difficult?”

  “You clearly don’t learn,” Skipper replied.  “I’m just a difficult person.  I’ve been reprimanded thousands of times since I’ve been here.  Been in solitary confinement at least a hundred times, and—.”

  “Make it a hundred and one,” the Warden said.  Skipper’s face hardened.  The Warden turned to Crawford.  “Take him and that blonde twink out there and put them in solitary confinement for an entire week.”  The Warden stood and walked around his desk, burning a hole into Skipper’s skin.  “Perhaps that’s where you both learn that this is the place where you’d stay for the rest of your life and this is where you’ll both die.  Do I make myself clear?”

  “Crystal,” Skipper said.  Crawford grabbed Skipper’s arm and lifted him from his seat.  Skipper said nothing as Crawford lead him out the door.

  “Bring him,” Crawford ordered, glancing at Kowalski and the other officers.

  Kowalski frowned as they were both lead down to a singular hallway with large steel doors.  They all stopped in front of one of the doors.  Crawford unlocked the door before Skipper stepped inside.  Crawford slammed the door.  They went down to the next door, and Crawford opened the door.

  Kowalski swallowed hard, staring into the mostly dark room.  He turned to Crawford.  “How long am I gonna stay in for?”

  Crawford shoved him into the room.  Kowalski fell onto the cold concrete floor.  He turned towards him.  “A week.”  Crawford slammed the door.  Kowalski exhaled a shaky breath.  Crawford reopened the door.  “Don’t bother trying to talk to your friend.  These walls are four inches of concrete.”  Crawford slammed the door again.

  Darkness enclosed around Kowalski.  His heart pounded in his chest.  He pulled his knees against his chest.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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  Kowalski shivered in the corner.  The concrete floor and walls grew cold throughout the day.  With only a thin blanket and a simple cot, Kowalski struggled to safe warm throughout the entire week.  The only time light seeped into the room was when the food arrived through the slit in the door.  Kowalski mostly stayed in bed the entire week, stopping only once and a while to stretch his legs.

  Until finally, the door opened wide, and Crawford stood on the other side.

  “Come on,” Crawford said after they stared at each other for a moment.  “The week’s up.”  Kowalski shielded his eyes as he stood and made his way out of the darkened room.  “How’d you sleep?”

  “Fuck you,” Kowalski grumbled.  His back ached, and his limbs were sore.  Heavy bags rested under his eyes.  Kowalski arched his back, cracking his spine in several places.  He groaned loudly.  Skipper stepped out of his cell when a deputy unlocked and opened the door.  Crawford turned his back towards them.

  Skipper rushed to Kowalski’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder.  “How are you?”

  Crawford turned his head, eyeing the two of them.

  Kowalski glanced towards the officer before turning back to Skipper.  He scowled, and his brow furrowed.  “Yeah, no thanks to you!”  Kowalski jerked himself free from Skipper’s grasp.  Skipper tilted his head to one side.  Kowalski quickly gestured to Crawford with a slight nod of his head.

  A lightbulb clicked inside Skipper’s head.  He tightened his jaw and squared his shoulders.  “Well, fuck you!”  Skipper drove his shoulder into Kowalski’s as he stormed past him.

  Crawford turned as Skipper stormed past him as well.  Crawford turned further to Kowalski.  He arched a brow.  “I guess the honeymoon phase is already over.”

  “Oh, fuck off.”  Kowalski rolled his eyes.

  Crawford frowned heavily.  “Hey!”  He snapped towards Skipper.  “You have to stay with us.”

  “I know my fucking way around!” Skipper shouted back.

  “You wanna spend another week in the hole?!” Crawford asked, storming down the hallway after Skipper.  A deputy shoved Kowalski from behind, forcing him to step forward.  Kowalski started moving when Skipper stopped.  Crawford smirked as he stopped beside Skipper.  Crawford ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek and bottom lip.  “Yeah.  Who says that an old dog can’t learn new tricks?”

  Skipper drove his nails into the palms of his hands until his knuckles turned white.

  Crawford unlocked the door leading to the rest of the prison.  He gestured with his hand outward.  Skipper stormed past him;  Kowalski followed close behind.  Aside from the sounds of their shoes clicking on the floor, silence surrounded them.  Kowalski was first at getting back to his cell, with his quick and steady strides.

  It was almost time for lights out, and most of the prisoners were already in their cells.  If they weren’t, they were hurrying to their cells.

  Corey patted his pillow.  He turned when Kowalski stepped inside.  “Hey!”  A smile crossed his face.  He went to hug Kowalski, but he stepped around Corey.  “Are you okay?”  Corey turned towards Kowalski and stepped closer, a little too close for comfort.  Corey placed a hand on Kowalski’s arm.  “Hey—.”

  Kowalski whipped around, pulling his arm free.  “Don’t touch me!”   Corey’s face softened.  Kowalski felt his jaw tighten.  “You did this.  All of this!”  Kowalski shook his head.  “You’re the reason behind the fact that Skipper and I got put in solitary confinement.”

  “Wha—?”  Corey sighed.  “Listen, you need to get Skipper out of your head.”  Kowalski stiffened as Corey spoke.  “You need to stop letting him get in your head.”

  “What?!  You think just because I hang out with Skipper more than you, that you can treat me like some dog that you could starve for a week and think I’d be running back.  Back into your arms so you can treat me the same way again and again whenever I make a new friend?”

  Corey scoffed.  “Friend?  You think Skipper is a friend of yours?”  Corey scoffed again.  “He’s just using you.  Watch.”  Kowalski tightened his fists.  “As soon as you give Skipper exactly what he wants, he’ll toss you aside like you’re a useless piece of trash.”

  Kowalski slammed his fist against Corey’s jaw.  Corey stumbled backwards a little as his eyes widened.

  The cell doors closed.  Crawford stepped around the corner.  “Go to sleep, Kowalski!”  Kowalski frowned before he bolted onto his bunk.  “You too, Corey!”

  Kowalski rolled over onto his side as the lights began to turn off with a loud click.

 

~~~~

 

  Morning came and went, and all the prisoners were on their afternoon work shifts.  Skipper was free from his work, as he worked earlier in the day.  Kowalski pushed a cart full of returned books, and he went around placing the books back onto the shelves.

  Prisoners sat at tables, reading either newspapers or books or writing in journals or on the computer.

  Skipper walked up behind Kowalski, staring deeply at the books.  “How long do you intend to holding up this charade?”

  Kowalski paused.  He set another book on the shelf.  “Until Crawford and the other guards stop staring us.”  Skipper glanced over his shoulder at the guard watching the two of them.  “When that happens, we can resume our excursions.”

  Skipper frowned as he turned back to the books.  He stepped around to the other side of the bookcase.  “Well, how long do you think it’ll be before that happens?”

  Kowalski frowned at him through an opening between the books.  He shrugged his shoulders in a way that could be mistaken for a pang of pain being stretched out.  Skipper frowned hard.  “It could be anywhere between weeks or months.”

  “We don’t have months to sit around on our hands.”

  Kowalski huffed as he steered the cart around to the backside of the bookcase.  “Well.  What do you want me to do about it?”  Kowalski nearly threw a couple of books back to their original place.

  Skipper chewed on the inside of his cheek.  “There’s something, isn’t there?”

  “There is something I’ve noticed.”  The guard moved closer, stopping at the corner of one of the bookcases.  Kowalski bit his tongue before hurrying off with the cart.  Skipper frowned again, turning back to the shelves of books.  The guard stepped back to his original position by the door.

  “What did you see?” Skipper asked, pulling a book slightly off of the shelf.  He pushed it back.  Kowalski remained quiet.  Skipper moved closer to him.  Kowalski reached up to place a book on a high shelf, but Skipper covered his hand, grabbing hold of his hand.  Their gazes locked onto one another.

  Kowalski felt his face grow hot.

  Skipper curled his fingers more around Kowalski’s hand.  “Well?”

  “I—.”  His heart pounded in his chest.  He cleared his throat.  “There was a wire that ran from the Warden’s office to the radio tower.  It looks thick enough—.”  Kowalski swallowed a little as his gaze dropped.  “To hold our weight.”

  “Rico’s weight?”  Kowalski looked up at him.  “Don’t think I’m gonna give up on that man.”  Skipper smirked.  He pulled the book from Kowalski’s hand before going to a table and sitting and reading.

  Kowalski finished shelving the book before he grabbed some cleaning spray and a rag.  Skipper leaned back when Kowalski came to his table.

  “The radio tower is about six feet away from the fence,” Kowalski whispered.

  “Six feet?”  Skipper raised the book to cover his face.  “You expect all of us to jump the distance?”

  “We have to— if you want to get out of here.”  Kowalski moved to another table.

  Skipper stood and walked over to him.  “We can talk later in the showers.”  Kowalski turned, red in the face, and stared at him.

 

~~~~

 

  Shower time came, and all the prisoners were in the bathrooms.  Whenever they finished, they hurried to dry off and dress themselves.

  Skipper went into side room of the bathroom, which was now beginning to become empty with more and more prisoners leaving that part of the room.  He gestured with his head to Kowalski before the smaller man stepped around the corner.  Skipper grabbed Kowalski’s wrist and pulled him closer.

  “Perhaps you’d like to continue what you were saying in the library,” Skipper whispered.

  “That’s just it.”  Kowalski shrugged his shoulders.  “We have to jump that distance to the fence and climb down it in order to get to the forest surrounding the prison.”

  Skipper frowned a little.  “Is that really it?”

  Kowalski glanced downward.  “Well, I suppose it would be best if kept our distance.”

  “Really?”  Kowalski nodded faintly.  “Would you be happy with that?”

  Kowalski’s throat went dry.  “What makes you think that?”

  Skipper smiled a little.  “Because I can tell that your rather happy— standing this close to me.”  Kowalski’s face grew bright red.  Tears filled his eyes.  Skipper stepped closer, backing Kowalski against the wall.  “Now, I disagree with you.  I think we have to give them an adequate reason as to why we’re so close.”

  “What reason can we give them?”  Kowalski shrugged his shoulders a little.  “I don’t have any.”

  “All prisoners to their cells!” a guard shouted.  Kowalski turned his head.

  Skipper cupped Kowalski’s cheek and turned him back towards him.  “I’ve got an idea.”  He leaned forward and kissed him gently.  Kowalski’s eyes widened.  He opened his mouth, and Skipper pushed his tongue against his.

  Kowalski moaned softly.  Skipper pushed him further against the wall.  Kowalski wrapped his arms around Skipper’s neck as Skipper wrapped his arms around Kowalski’s waist.

  Crawford stepped the corner before stopping when he saw the two of them.  He brought his nightstick against the water pipe.  “Alright, lovebirds.”  The two of them pulled apart.  “Shower time is over.  Let’s get going.”

  Skipper stepped back from Kowalski before they both hurried off back to their cells.

  Crawford followed them out before heading up to the Warden’s office.  He knocked gently.

  “Come in!” the Warden shouted from inside.  Crawford stepped inside.

  “May I speak to you?  Before I go home?”

  The Warden looked up from the papers in his hands.  “Of course.”

  “I think we were a bit hasty in our judgment of Dominic Skipper and Ian Kowalski.”

  “Oh?”  The Warden’s face twisted in confusion.  “How so?”

  “I don’t think that they’re planning something.  I just saw them, and they might just be two young men awkwardly falling in love with each other.”

  The Warden scoffed.  “Love?”  The Warden stood from his seat.  “Love?!”  He stepped closer.  “You think those two are in love with each other?!  They’re in prison!  Love doesn’t exist here.”

  “But I—.”

  “Shut it!  Now, they might have pulled in the wool over your eyes, but I’m not as stupid as you are.”  Crawford swallowed hard.  “Get out and go back home to fuck your airhead boyfriend.”  Crawford frowned as he turned away.

  “We’re no longer dating.”  The Warden stared him down.  “We broke up two weeks ago.”  Crawford glanced back at him.  “I’m not a cynic like you.  I still believe that love exists.”

  “Get out!”  Crawford slammed the door behind him.


End file.
